


In the Stillness of the Night

by lawlessearth



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And this is just a thought, But they're neighbors, F/F, Vignette, i don't even know what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27731395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawlessearth/pseuds/lawlessearth
Summary: Finding unexpected comforts in the late-night habits of one's neighbour
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 12
Kudos: 82





	In the Stillness of the Night

It was past midnight when Christina got home. Another long day at the office and plenty more work to finish at home for her to bring in the next day. She would have stayed longer but for an early day tomorrow as well. She needed to shower and put on fresh clothes at least. It wouldn’t do to look less than perfect when her gender was already a significant handicap in her male-dominated workplace.

Christina hung her coat and dropped her bag and laptop case on the couch on her way to the small closet next to the bed. It was a tiny apartment, not even bigger than the bathroom of the house in Massachusetts she grew up in. She took it not so much because she couldn’t find a larger, more well-appointed place close to work. She took it because her father didn’t have influence over this neighborhood.

Half an hour later, she was stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a slightly oversized robe. When she crossed the room to put on the silk pajamas she had lain out on the bed earlier, she heard a thud coming from the apartment next to hers. Muffled steps and then faint strains of soft music filtered through the thin walls.

She was there before Christina moved in a couple of months ago. ‘R. Baptiste,’ the mailbox said. Apparently, she kept late hours, working the closing shift at some bar a couple of blocks away. She lived alone though she sometimes had friends over.

And most nights, at about the same time, she played quiet, soulful music.

Some nights, she sang.

The first time she heard it, Christina found herself holding her breath. The experience felt like she had stepped into something private and intimate. The performance wasn’t meant for other people’s ears.

Christina walked over to the couch to pick up her laptop and some case files from her bag. On nights such as these, she liked to work outside on the small balcony jutting out over the street below.

The mid-autumn air was balmy and still. No sign of rain. She set up her work on the wrought-iron coffee table on one corner of the balcony, where she had dragged it close to the partition walls between apartments. She had to use her laptop’s backlight to squint through her files while she typed but she didn’t care. On the other side, she saw the bright glow of a lamp through the thin curtains and a faint shadow moving familiarly about the room.

Resuming her focus to the work at hand, Christina only heard the sound of a window latch being opened. And soon she heard the strumming of a subdued guitar, and a sweet voice singing softly to herself.

Hours later, Christina was jolted awake by the light of the sun creeping over her table. She checked the time on her phone and gave a little sigh of relief. She didn’t oversleep. As she stood up, something fell on the floor. She stooped down and picked up the unfamiliar object. It was a portable LED light with a USB connector at one end. There was a small handwritten note attached to it:

_Sorry. I couldn’t help but notice you were ruining your eyes without a lamp. – Ruby_

As she reread the message, she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a more fitful sleep.

Her neighbor’s windows were still open but the curtains and heavy drapes were firmly shut. The occupant would not begin her day until later. By then, Christina would be deep in her work at Braithwhite & Partners. Still, she wondered if she could someday come home early and find Ruby Baptiste in the hallway, perhaps on her way out, and ask her if she would like some coffee on some weekend or before she went in for work. After all, having a perfect neighbor was rare enough. Having one whose late-night habits brought unexpected comforts was….

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short thought-piece. I don't know where I was going with it. I had no intention of writing this - a modern AU with no distinct plot and written from Christina's perspective. When I was writing in canon, I couldn't write from Christina's perspective because, for me, it's not that kind of show. But in a modern AU, all bets are off I guess and lol so sorry if I messed up anybody's head canon with this.
> 
> For those who read all the way to the end, I hope you enjoyed this short scene.


End file.
